Garden Of The Blue Roses
by Marthmellow
Summary: No matter where they ran to on Akaneia and Tellius, Ike knew that their love wouldn't be accepted. It was their fault for letting this happen, and their only chance of living was to get to the garden of the blue roses. IkeMarth. Better overview inside.


**Short Overview:** Shortly after the end of the Brawl tournament, a way of going between Akaneia and Tellius is found. Though this new discovery excites Ike and Marth, who had become lovers during the tournament, relations between the two continents are tense. At the request of Begnion's senate, Marth leaves Altea to go to Begnion to sign a treaty between the two continents to seal the peace. However, mishaps and deceit occur, and Ike is forced to help a crippled Marth run away from an army that seeks the prince's death. Where do you run to, though, if you are rejected even by your home country?

**Author's Note:** …Why am I starting a new fanfic? An IkeMarth one, to be exact? OTL…this has been on my mind for a long time. This'll be my "writing experiment", so updates will be slow for this one. I'll still be updating Silver Nightmares, though. Updates will be slow in general for both stories (more slow for this one), because I'm still sick and I have finals coming up next week. I'll try to keep up with my resolution by updating more each week. Also, I figured that this story would be better for the Fire Emblem section, even though it briefly mentions Brawl. A majority of it takes place in the Fire Emblem world, anyway.

**Prologue: Dawn**

The rays of dawn were just peeking over the mountains when Ike woke up from his hour-long nap. The weather was clear and cool; perfect for training or, in Ike's case, going back to sleep. Much to his dismay, his body had become used to this lack of sleep. Signs of prolonged sleep deprivation were present in his eyes as he turned onto his side, looking at the prince that lay sleeping next to him. For a minute or two, Ike laid there, gazing upon Marth's frame. He took in every detail, from his new and faded scars to the soft locks of midnight blue that fell over his eyes. His attention was more focused upon the new scars. They littered Marth's body, and they were signs of torture.

"…_If I knew that they were going to do this to you, I would've moved sooner…"_

The expression on Ike's face fell. His hand reached out and stroked Marth's face. He grew a bit startled when he felt Marth lean into his touch. Marth yawned, opening his eyes slightly to look at Ike before closing them again. Ike almost didn't want to bother Marth, but then he remembered why they were here in the first place.

"Marth…" Ike called softly. He got a small sound in response. The mercenary planted a kiss on his forehead. "Marth, I know you're tired, but we have to keep going." That was enough reason for the prince to get up. Marth groaned, finally sitting up, trying to stand with effort. His legs wobbled dangerously, and before he could collapse in a heap, Ike caught him. Marth whined. "Aiku-kun, I can walk by myself." He tried pushing the other away, but Ike held a firm grip. "You're still weak," replied the mercenary, "Let me carry you for a bit…" Marth frowned at this statement, but there was nothing he could do or say. He knew that Ike was stubborn and wouldn't listen to him. Ike bent over and undid Marth's armor, replacing it so that it covered his back instead of his chest.

"I'm sorry." Marth whispered, sadness apparent in his tone.

"For what?" Ike asked, tightening the armor's belt so that it wouldn't fall. He hoisted Marth onto his back and began to walk.

"…this is all my fault."

"…It's not your fault. It's mine."

"Iie…"

"Yes."

"…it's both of our faults, then."

Marth was too tired to argue. Ike let out a small chuckle. "Alright…it's both of our faults…but I have no regrets," he said, crouching down low enough to pass through the thick forestry without any of the branches hitting Marth. "Neither do I…" replied Marth. He smiled lightly. "We're in such a mess…hahaha…but I regret nothing…because I'm with you." It was hard for Ike not to smile at that statement.

"…mm…yeah…because I'm with my prince."

"…boku no eiyu…"

He could feel Marth snuggle against his back. Then, there was silence. Only the crunching of the leaves and grass beneath Ike's feet could be heard. A few minutes passed like this before his prince spoke.

"Ike…are we going to die?"

There was a long moment of silence between them; even longer than the one they just had. More crunching. Oleanders blocked Ike's view of what was ahead, and he pushed them aside so that he could see.

"…No." Ike finally replied.

"_Not as long as I'm here,"_ Ike thought to himself. _"We'll get to the end…and rest at the garden of the blue roses."_


End file.
